


And Melt Your Frozen Heart

by Newt



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, warning for some emotional abuse stuff I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 14:06:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9127015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newt/pseuds/Newt
Summary: An AU where Weiss was forced to attend Atlas instead of Beacon. After four years of isolating herself, Weiss goes home to the Schnee mansion, and is immediately assigned a mission in which she must help shelter a team of huntresses from Beacon. Weiss has been too lonely for too long, and only Ruby, Yang, and (especially) Blake can break down the icy wall she's built around her heart.





	

Although she constantly tries to forget, Weiss remembers that day more vividly than anything she has ever experienced. 

The clank of metal on metal, the heat and chill of dust rounds, her careful movements and practiced strikes – not enough. None of it enough. 

She remembers lying on the floor, blood seeping into her eye and down her arm and staining her dress. Her sister swooping in last minute, the enchanted suit of armor crashing to a halt, and the deathly silence that followed. The empty sound of humiliation and defeat. It was the silence, more than anything else, that tortured her about that day.

And so, she was sent to Atlas Academy. On the first day of initiation, she stood proudly onstage, perfectly postured with the hint of a smile. Headmaster Ironwood called out teams from a shiny plaque, the officials having carefully chosen them weeks in advance. Most teams were based on a well-considered balance of abilities; offense and defense and aura and semblance. Weiss tried to pretend that her father hadn’t bought her the most promising teammates in her year. Team SNOW was formed anyway.

Her first year at Atlas was uneventful, hours upon hours of studying and practicing. She had to work incredibly hard to match her team’s skills, and she tried to pretend that this wasn’t exactly what her father had wanted in choosing them for her. Her team was a well-oiled machine, and it was no surprise that they wound up at the Vytal Festival, even as first years. She stayed in the Beacon dorms the whole time, pretending that she wasn’t jealous of the happy students going to the dance and visiting the fairgrounds and cheering on their friends in the matches. Team SNOW practiced, and fine-tuned their attacks. They made it to the doubles round, and Weiss was not chosen. She watched the match from the common room, scowling at a rowdy team of girls with hair dyed every obscene colour of the rainbow.

Opal Eis, the only other girl on Team SNOW, was a good study partner. In their second year, as things got harder, she and Weiss spent a lot of time quizzing each other in the dorms. It was Opal who insisted they stay out of the Vytal Festival that year, and focus on their studies. Weiss was both relieved and disappointed. A few times, she tried to get some sort of friendly conversation out of Opal, but she was like a paper person, with no clear interests outside of studying and training. Weiss was interested in these things, too, of course. She had to be, just to try to keep up with her team. But Weiss knew who she was. She was an heiress and a scholar, a lover of music and stories and even the occasional bad joke. Eventually she learned to study alone, quietly turning on however much music it took to drown out the silence. She finished her second year with a mission, her team patrolling the outer reaches of Atlas. It was nothing but miserable, and cold. Just really, really cold.

Nickel Hagel was the loudest member of their team, but he had absolutely nothing of use to say. The other three listened and simmered as he gossiped at every meal, teasing people for their looks or commenting on their grades or slyly suggesting he would be able to beat so-and-so in combat. They separated from him as much as possible, and he spent most of his time with other teams. Nickel was also the first to say that Weiss was less adept with a weapon than every other member of Team SNOW. He pointed this out on day one, and didn’t stop until, in third year, Weiss punched him so hard in the stomach that his aura broke. They were on icy terms since then. That night, Opal gave Weiss a subtle pat on the back, and Weiss thought there might be someone in there after all. The Vytal Festival was held at Atlas that year, but registration began the day after the incident, and Nickel refused to enter as long as Weiss was permitted to join. It suited her just fine, she had no intentions of participating in anything except her own little world. The music went on, and the wall was built up.

Sky Schauer was the leader of their team, and used this position to constantly tell everyone else exactly how wrong everything they were doing was. One missed answer on an exam, or one misstep in training, and it was a sigh and a click of the tongue. He was especially hard on Weiss, which is why, in their fourth year, when he asked her to the dance at the Vacuo Vytal Festival, she was absolutely stunned. It was no secret that Sky was the most coveted man at Atlas Academy. He had everything there was to be desired, money, talent, and incredibly good looks. Tall and well-built, with an impeccable fashion sense, piercing blue eyes, and dark hair that was always the perfect balance of neat and messy. So she said yes, and one thing led to another, and they ended up dating for the rest of the year.

Weiss graduated with honours, and Team SNOW went in separate directions. Opal took on solo missions, Nickel moved to Vale, and Sky immediately joined the Atlas military, spending weekends with Weiss and weekdays worming his way up the ranks. 

Weiss herself moved back home. Winter instructed her to be choosy, and not join the military out of obligation. Her sister was the only one even slightly able to break through the icy walls around Weiss’ heart, so Weiss spent her days as she always had, feeling like a helpless teenager as her family chided her and Klein bought her coffee and she trained in the courtyard, breath fogging in the chilly Atlas air.

**********

Weiss was only one week graduated when her sister approached her with a proposition.

“Winter! It’s good to see you,” said Weiss, mood lightening as it always did in her sister’s presence.

“And you,” said Winter, nodding. “Have you been keeping up with your training since graduation?”

Weiss was over twenty years old now, and she knew she should be offended when Winter treated her like a child. Something about it was nice, though. Warm and familiar, proof that Winter cared about her.

“Of course,” said Weiss, nodding confidently. “You really should join me sometime. I’d love to show you what I’ve learned.”

Winter frowned, apparently deep in thought.

“Yes, well, I’m counting on your training being enough.”

Winter took a deep breath, meeting Weiss’ inquisitive gaze.

“An old… acquaintance of mine has a very important task for us. Our family, that is. And I was hoping you could… well… oversee it?”

Winter’s face grew momentarily angry when she mentioned her acquaintance. It was a strange thing, a crack in Winter’s composure, and Weiss was just thrown-off enough to agree.

“Of course! Please, tell me all about it.”

Winter took a deep breath, straightening her posture before continuing.

“My acquaintance has a niece who is also a huntress, a recent graduate of Beacon Academy. She has… some special qualities that are putting her in great danger in her current location. He’s hoping that we’ll be able to shield her from danger, and harbour her and her team here in secret.”

Weiss blinked.

“Here? You mean, in our house?”

Winter nodded.

“Yes, he seems to think it’s the best course of action. We have the space for it, and they’d be under strict surveillance from a trained Atlas huntress, either you or me.”

Weiss didn’t quite know how to respond to this. It was the opportunity she’d been looking for; a steady and meaningful job. She had secretly hoped that her work would involve more… work, however. Something that would take her away from Atlas, or at least away from her own house…

She settled on a safer tactic.

“And Father is okay with this?”

Winter grimaced.

“The military is still working on Father. There will definitely be compensation involved.”

Underneath Winter’s composure, Weiss realized the gravity of this mission. Her sister was working very hard to make sure it all went smoothly, and Weiss decided then and there that she had to play her part.

“I am honoured to be trusted with such an important mission,” she said, bowing slightly. Winter grinned, giving her a half-ruffle of the hair.

“Thank you, Weiss. I’ll be home for lunch tomorrow, if you’d like to join me?”

“Of course!”

“See you then.”

Winter turned, waving over her shoulder at Weiss. Her hand shifted back to the hilt of her weapon as she walked away, not so much as a backward glance. Her boots clicked down the marble hallway, then she turned a corner and was gone.

Weiss stared after her, still smiling. She admired her sister more than anyone in her life, and was warmed by their every conversation. 

But now, she was stuck with a mission she was less-than-enthusiastic about…

Weiss returned to her room, pushing it all from her mind.

**********

Weiss watched through her bedroom window as the guests arrived, escorted to the door by a beaming Klein. Weiss herself was wary, having had rather negative experiences with other huntresses. The huntresses she remembered from her stay in Vale were just loud, and spent too much time laughing. Looking at the team, even from this distance, gave her a strange twinge in her chest.

Weiss walked slowly down the stairs, giving a dignified wave to the team, their cheeks pink from the cold and hair windswept. She scanned them carefully.

There were only three of them, which was odd in itself, but they seemed to be an odd bunch in general.

The first girl was completely tangled in a mess of blond hair, one hand dragging a suitcase and the other giving Weiss a hearty wave in return.

The second of them was a short girl in all red and black, beaming excitedly and staring around at all of the Schnee family heirlooms. She extended a mitten as soon as she saw Weiss, waiting an awkwardly long time for Weiss to arrive and shake her hand.

The third girl was tall and dark, with a chilly expression that made it hard for Weiss to get a read on her. Her eyes were piercingly yellow, with a beautiful shape, and Weiss found herself lingering on them before noticing a pair of black ears atop her long, dark hair. A faunus. 

She tore her gaze away, shaking the oddly-wet mitten of the shortest girl.

“Hi! I’m Ruby. It’s nice to meet you, thanks for letting us stay here. We won’t be any trouble I promise. And you’re Weiss, right? A huntress like us. Oh, I guess I should’ve let you introduce yourself first. I promise I’m not like a creepy stalker, I just, ah!”

Ruby’s spiel was cut off by the blond girl treading lightly on her foot.

“I’m Yang,” she said, extending a hand to shake. Her grip was firm, and cold from the outdoors. “I’m Ruby’s sister, so I can mess with her and she still loves me.”

Ruby stuck out her tongue at Yang.

Weiss looked up at the last girl, expecting a similar introduction.

“Blake,” she offered, not extending a hand. It was curt, too curt. Quite rude, honestly. Weiss nodded to her coldly.

“Well, I’ll escort you to your rooms, then,” said Weiss, turning around so that her dress flared out perfectly. She hoped Blake noticed, just because Weiss wanted to prove to her that she could be every bit as dignified.

**********

The three spent the next few days settling in, Klein fussing over them and learning all of their routines. Weiss was right that they were odd, and their actions reflected it.

Yang went on an hour-long run every morning, and finished up by standing outside, shadow boxing and making loud noises. She laughed louder than anyone Weiss had ever heard, and told bad jokes that even Whitley groaned at. Sometimes, Weiss caught herself laughing along.

Ruby was thrilled by their house, and kept coming to Weiss to ask permission to explore different areas. With every exasperated “yes” Ruby lit up, bouncing on the balls of her feet and disappearing in a flash. She wore a red hood everywhere she went, and it trailed behind her as she darted from hall to hall.

Weiss never saw much of Blake, and the few interactions they had were forced and polite, more the kind of interaction Weiss was used to. It was a natural, comfortable sort of thing, yet it still annoyed her somehow. 

Weiss found herself very interested in Blake, and wanting to know more about her. She had hated faunus for as long as she could remember, for angering her Father and ruining her family’s business at every opportunity. And now, there was one living in their house, fully open with her heritage. Yet, Weiss found herself admiring Blake for her grit. She must know about the company’s history with faunus, and yet she just seemed to not care, at all. 

And it wasn’t like Blake gave Weiss any reason to dislike her, specifically. If anything, Weiss admired her. She was impeccable with her clothes and makeup, stylishly beautiful in a way that Weiss felt in her stomach. Envy, maybe. 

As time went on, Weiss found herself warming up to Ruby and Yang. The more they pestered her, the more she started to believe that they honestly liked her. She didn’t fully trust it, but it was enough.

**********

“Weiss, did I see a faunus in your front hall this morning?” asked Sky, by way of introduction. 

Weiss straightened up in her seat, and put her scroll down to greet him.

“Who, Blake? Yes, she’s staying with us.”

Sky ran a finger carelessly along the books at his level, making his way across the sitting room to Weiss’ couch. He sat down with the practiced grace of an offensive fighter, throwing an arm around her.

“I thought she must be a new servant or something.”

He let out a soft laugh, inviting her to explain. Weiss shrunk down, trying to think of an excuse that would satisfy him.

“Well, not quite. She’s part of a team of huntresses that’s visiting from Vale. They’re paying us a lot to stay here, luckily.”

It was mostly true. Winter had said something about compensation.

“I didn’t imagine the Schnee Dust Company would consort with faunuses for all the money in the world,” he said, with a nasty grin. It was the face he always made when commenting on the other teams at school, usually followed by a loud remark from Nickel.

“She’s been… fine to me,” said Weiss, feeling the need to protect her new acquaintance.

“Ha, no need to be so defensive, Weiss. You always get like this. We’re just talking.”

Weiss pushed down a twinge of guilt, saying nothing.

“Have you had lunch yet? I’m starving,” Sky announced, retracting his arm from around her.

“Oh, yes, I have.” 

She’d had a wonderful meal with Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Whitley. Mostly Yang and Ruby talked about their adventures and Weiss and Whitley laughed along with them. Enjoying storytelling was one of the few things Weiss and Whitley had in common.

“You didn’t wait for me?” he said, faking shock. “That’s alright then. Klein is in the kitchen, I presume? I’ll head over there for a few.”

He stood up, and Weiss felt no desire to follow him.

“Okay, see you then.”

“So long.”

Weiss settled back down as he left, vaguely annoyed, then jolted to attention as Blake walked in. She was frowning deeply, marching across the room with purpose.

She untucked a book from her arm and slid it into place on the shelf, then whirled around to march away. Frantically, Weiss tried to think of some way to get her to stay.

“What book was that?” she asked, a little more desperately than she’d intended to. She had read most of the books in their home library, and maybe it would give them something to talk about.

“What, you don’t want the filthy faunus touching your books?” spat Blake, glaring daggers at Weiss over her shoulder.

Weiss’ heart sped up, and she clenched her hands between her knees.

“I never said that! I was just curious!”

“I promise I’ll stay away from you from now on. Trust me, I’m not exactly thrilled with this arrangement either,” Blake said. She started walking again.

“Hey!” Weiss shouted, jumping up from the couch. How dare she speak to her like that?

But Blake was gone, the sound of her light footsteps fading into the distance.

**********

As Weiss settled into bed that night, anxiety twisted in her stomach. She pressed a pillow to her side, trying to will herself to stay calm. She often felt like this after a day with her Father, or a company social, or a reprimand from Sky after a botched fight. This was different, though. It was anxiety mixed with sorrow, a feeling that she couldn’t go back on the damage she’d done today. 

She wished she could get along with Blake like she did with Ruby and Yang. She wished that her company didn’t have such a bad reputation. Mostly, though, she wished that her first real interaction with Blake hadn’t been a fight.

**********

As time went on, Weiss started to see Blake again, in passing. She even got a few cordial hellos in, and assumed their relationship was more or less back to the forcibly polite thing it had started as. 

She began spending more and more time with Ruby, Yang, or both, and sometimes Blake was a part of that. She enjoyed the conversation, and found herself feeling fully comfortable around them, before remembering to keep her guard up. 

She found out more and more about their history as time went on, learning that Ruby was the niece of Winter’s acquaintance, the niece she’d mentioned was in danger, and that they’d had a few close scrapes with a mysterious organization. One attack had even taken place at Beacon, and had almost taken the life of their friend. 

When Weiss learned that that friend was the famous Pyrrha Nikos, they talked about that for a while.

Every story they shared about Vale was the polar opposite of Weiss’ experiences at Atlas. Their memories were fond, warm, and full of love for the people they’d met and the bonds they’d formed. Weiss didn’t feel connected to any of the people at Atlas, and her memories of the place were strictly neutral and uncoloured by joy.

She found out that they used to have a fourth teammate, Umber Pines, that had made them Team RUBY. Ruby had swelled up with pride at the mention of the team named after her (“well of course, I was always a great leader to you guys”). The huntress life had been hard on Umber, however, and she’d willingly dropped out of Beacon not far into their first year, leaving the team incomplete and, to Yang’s sorrows, unable to ever compete in the Vytal Festival.

“They were afraid of me, I know it. I would have beaten everyone too easily, it would be an unfair competition.”

Yang waved her arms as she talked, and Weiss couldn’t help but smile, despite how much it hindered their walking. The three of them, herself, Ruby, and Yang, were on their way to a meal that Weiss' father would be attending, and were all dressed up and prepared.

“Just get all of your energy out before my Father has to see it,” warned Weiss, trying to play off the genuine warning as a stern joke. 

“Hey, it’s the truth,” said Yang, folding her arms firmly. “Now when is Blake gonna get here?”

Blake had sent them ahead without her, claiming she needed some time to get ready for the dinner. Weiss had thought she already looked perfect, but apparently there was more that needed to be done.

“I’m here.”

Blake turned the corner and joined them. Weiss felt a jolt in her chest.

She looked beautiful, in a simple yet sophisticated black dress. Over her cat ears, she wore a black bow, held steadily in a way that made Weiss know she’d done this before. Just like that, she had transformed from faunus to human. 

“Weiss, you’re staring,” said Yang, giving her a playful punch on the arm. Weiss turned away, heat rising in her cheeks. How could Yang say something like that?

Weiss walked as quickly as she could down the hall and through the double doors, determinedly not looking back at the other three.

**********

“Weiss, can I ask you a favour?” 

Klein was bustling around Weiss’ room, performing his usual morning tasks. After drawing the blinds, he walked over to where he’d left a tray of hot drinks, removing Weiss’ usual coffee and placing it in her dresser.

“Of course,” said Weiss, turning to him from where she was brushing her hair. Klein was a very busy man, and she liked him quite a lot. With three more people living in the house, he was always rushing around, and she was willing to help wherever she could.

“Oh, thank you, snowflake,” he said, beaming at her. He slid another drink off the tray.

“Can you please take this tea to Ms. Belladonna? She quite enjoys her morning tea.”

Weiss frowned. Blake’s room was between Ruby’s and Yang’s. It made no sense that he’d be able to go attend to those two, but not to Blake. Weiss just couldn’t question him, though. He’d started sneezing now, and was preoccupied.

“It’s not a problem,” said Weiss. 

“Thank – achoo! – you, I must – achoo! – go to your brother – achoo! – now!”

Weiss giggled, nodding to dismiss him. Klein’s strange sneezing attacks had always amused her as a child, and since then she felt like he was bringing them on, somehow, just to make her laugh. 

Sure enough, he stopped sneezing immediately, and bowed out of the room. 

Weiss headed over to the mugs on her dresser, taking one in each hand. She inhaled deeply, steeling herself for what was to come. If it got awkward, she could always just leave.

She felt the warmth of the drinks spreading across her palms, and decided to get it over with before her coffee got cold. She set out for Blake’s room, making sure to keep her posture dignified and telling.

She set the drinks down momentarily on a cabinet, giving three sharp knocks on the door before collecting them. Another deep breath. The sound of footsteps. And then, Blake was there, door cracked open and eyes on hers and all dressed and ready for breakfast.

Weiss hadn’t been alone with Blake since that day in the sitting room, and she liked to pretend that that time had never happened. Weiss realized she was just standing there, not saying anything. 

“I brought you some tea,” she said, fighting to keep the tremble out of her voice. Blake blinked, looking down at the drinks.

“Oh. Thank you,” she said.

Weiss realized she was holding her breath, and softly let it out.

“It’s… from Klein. He said you like tea.”

She kept composed, but mentally kicked herself. That was such a boring and strange thing to say!

“I do like tea,” said Blake. She reached forward, hand brushing Weiss’ as she took the drink from her. Electricity tingled up Weiss’ fingers.

“Your bow!” Weiss blurted out, regretting it immediately. Blake blinked at her, blowing gently on her tea.

“I mean… well, yesterday, you hid your ears with a bow. It did look nice, but, I was just wondering, you know. You seemed so confident about your ears. They're nice. Why hide them?”

The more she spoke, the more she regretted ever coming here. She should have just dumped the tea and stayed alone. 

Blake frowned, taking a long sip before responding.

“I know about this company’s dealings with the faunus. You may be okay with me, Weiss, but your company and your species still aren’t.”

Weiss’ mind reeled with everything that was said. It was a forgiveness, it must be. And she’d said her name, said “Weiss” for the first time that Weiss could remember.

“Thanks for the tea,” said Blake again, gently shutting the door.

**********

The four of them began to train together. Ruby couldn’t stop raving about the balance she felt in a four-person team. She made up attack names for them, strategized based on their abilities, and collaborated whenever she didn’t understand something. Weiss was reluctant to admit it, but Ruby was actually a very good leader.

Weiss started smiling more, trying out wilder techniques than she ever had. The first time she made a mistake, she’d shrunk back, furious at herself. Her strike had slipped from her grip, shifting to the wrong direction, and she’d stumbled to the ground. She went to pull herself up, not looking at the other three until she nearly bumped into Yang, standing above her with a hand outstretched.

“You okay?” she asked, grinning widely. 

“I… of course I’m okay.”

Weiss blushed. Was Yang making fun of her? She didn’t dare look at the other two, especially not Blake. Blake fought with breathtaking grace, and Weiss found herself watching her, sometimes, despite herself. She told herself it was for training purposes. Ruby had named the Weiss and Blake team attack “checkmate” and the time they spent practicing it together was the most comfortable Weiss had ever felt training. Blake supported her when she needed it, and cheered with her when they got it right. They perfected it after only a few days, and Weiss rejoined the team with pride in her chest. 

She watched them laughing, and experimenting until they found what worked, and encouraging each other. It made her eyes hurt, as if she was about to cry from it, though she couldn’t imagine why. It was the happiest she’d been in a long time. Being with them felt right in a way that Team SNOW never had. She found herself singing more, not for anyone except herself, just out of her own volition, like she was a child again.

One day, she missed a strike, and accidentally hit Ruby. She braced herself for a reprimand, but got a laugh instead. It was all too much. 

“Weiss! Be careful! It’s too cold! Your skin is gonna freeze and then you’ll have to get it chipped off or something!”

She wiped the tears on her sleeve.

“Shut up, Ruby.”

**********

“Is this the Schnee residence?”

Weiss’ lip curled. Klein was away making lunch, so she’d taken it upon herself to answer the door. And she absolutely did not like the look of the figures standing before her. 

“Obviously,” she said. “Who’s asking?”

“We’re actually here to inquire about some… ah… tenants of yours…”

Weiss heart sped up immediately. She shifted her weight from her left foot to her right, hoping they didn’t notice the twitch. She played it as cool as she possibly could.

“We don’t take tenants here. If you’re here for an interview, you’ll have to inquire through the company. The guards should never have let you up here, good day.”

She closed the door as quickly as she could, counted to twenty, and then looked through the window to ensure that they were walking away. There wasn’t a hint of them at all, and she found herself trembling. They had to have been here for Ruby. There was no other reason they would ask about that. 

But then why had they left so easily? Were they just here to scare her?

She steadied the tea in her hand, getting back on track towards her daily chat with Blake.

**********

It had become second nature, to bring Blake tea. After a few visits, Blake had started to invite her in, and they would sit and chat for a while. It had become the highlight of Weiss’ day. Blake was very easy to talk to, but not in a way that exhausted her, like with Ruby and Yang. Everything she said was interesting, and every joke they shared was perfectly in tune to the moment.

They spent their time swapping stories about their schools, or their families. Sometimes they talked about books they'd both read. Weiss shared music with Blake, and she liked everything she was introduced to.

On this morning, however, Blake noticed how worried Weiss looked.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, gesturing to a chair. She sat on the edge of the bed, nodding her thanks when Weiss handed her her tea.

Weiss took a deep breath, swirling her coffee absently.

“Blake… who are you running from?” she asked, glancing up at her friend. Blake drew back.

“What do you mean?”

“There were some men at the door this morning. I sent them away, but… I think they know about you. About Ruby, that is. I’m worried and… I want to help.”

Blake bit her lip, setting her tea down to cross her arms.

“I don’t…”

There was a knock at the door, and Blake jumped to her feet immediately, startled. Weiss’ hand traveled unconsciously to her side, where Myrtenaster would be if she was allowed to carry it around the house.

She made eye contact with Blake, silently signalling that she would answer it. Blake nodded, and Weiss walked over, opening the door a crack. Her fear was immediately replaced by annoyance.

“Sky? What are you doing here?”

Her boyfriend shrugged, running a hand down her arm.

“What, a guy can’t pay a surprise visit to his girlfriend? Klein told me you’d be up here. Delivering tea? Honestly, Weiss, you’re like a little servant in here.”

Weiss frowned, unconsciously moving her arm away. 

“It’s not a big deal. Klein’s busy. And besides, I’m talking to my friend.”

Sky laughed lightly.

“Weiss Schnee has a faunus friend. Someone wake me up. Well, I’m sorry to interrupt you and your faunus friend, but I’ve had a very long away mission and I could use some time alone with you.”

Weiss drew back, crossing her arms.

“I… not right now, Sky.”

He pouted. 

“Oh, come on. I work so hard, out in the real world. I’ve been slaving away while you’ve been here in your mansion. Have you even trained once since graduation?”

“Of course I have!” said Weiss. She leaned forward, on the balls of her feet. She always felt so small around him, and it drove her a little crazy.

“Have you been focussing on your balance?” he asked, grinning, laughing at her.

“Of course! I…” 

“It doesn’t matter, you can get by without ever having to fight again, if you’d like. Lucky, lucky Weiss…”

“I’m NOT going to live here forever!” Weiss snapped, bouncing onto her toes.

“Oh Weiss, don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll improve enough to be a real huntress someday.”

She drew back like he’d slapped her. He may as well have. They’d trained together for four years, fought together for four years. They’d graduated side by side, and still, she’d never been good enough.

“Leave.”

Weiss blinked, turning her head to her left. At some point, without her noticing, Blake had stood up beside Weiss. A look of pure hatred crossed her face, and her ears lay back flat on her head. Sky just laughed.

“Weiss, control your pet, please.”

“Get. Out,” said Blake, taking a step forward.

Sky smirked, holding her gaze for a few seconds. He blinked first.

He held up a hand in airy defeat, turned on his heel, and waved to Weiss.

“I’ll see you later, then. Sometime you’re not… ah… busy,” he said.

Blake shut the door behind him, arms shaking. Blake and Weiss both stood in place for a while, Blake seething and Weiss’ heart fighting off the chill of another day with Sky. Blake finally looked up, and her eyes met Weiss’, intense and beautiful.

“You deserve better than him,” she said, simply.

“What?” Weiss spluttered, heat rising in her cheeks.

“I know guys like him. And you deserve better,” Blake repeated, her hand slipping down the door and back to her side.

“You don’t know him,” said Weiss, weakly. “He has moods. This was just a bad day, I suppose…”

“Why are you making excuses for him?” Blake cut in. 

Weiss’ gaze fell to her feet. She was shocked to find that she had no answer. Because he was popular, and talented, and good-looking? Because he could be nice, when she didn’t screw up? Because she had loved him, once?

But no. She’d been questioning that for quite a while, actually. Had she ever loved Sky? Had she ever felt anything, as he kissed her or threw his arm around her or whispered in her ear? She drew back from his touch, and treated their interactions like all of her daily chores.

It was nothing like seeing Winter or Ruby or Yang, where everything was natural and her day was enhanced. And it was absolutely nothing like seeing Blake, whose presence she looked forward to every second of the day. 

“Thank you for the tea,” said Blake. 

It was her code for the end of their morning. It was time to leave.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Weiss.

Blake smiled.

“Looking forward to it.”

**********

“You must have noticed the people snooping around,” said Winter, tapping her fingers against the table.

Weiss stared at her over the top of her coffee, which was now cold. Silently, begging her with her eyes.

Their Father sat to Winter’s left, and Whitley next to him at the head of the table. Their Mother had gone back to bed, complaining of a headache.

“Of course I have,” said their father, slamming a fist on the table. “And I can’t stand for it anymore! This is my home, and I have every right to feel safe here. Those huntresses need to leave.”

Winter nodded, fingers still tapping.

“Qrow has agreed that that is the safest course of action for everyone involved.”

“I want them out by Friday morning,” said her Father, taking a sip of his third coffee. “Weiss, you can inform them as soon as we’re done here.”

“I will miss their stories,” said Whitley, crossing his arms. His face was bored and unconcerned. Weiss’ grip tightened on her knees, her knuckles whitening. Winter shot her an apologetic look.

“Weiss? You will inform them,” said her Father, raising his eyebrows at her. 

Weiss swallowed, her throat dry.

“Father,” she looked him dead in the eyes, refusing to back down. “I want to go with them.”

His mouth fell open, and he laughed once, a cold and cruel bark of a thing.

“Absolutely not.”

There was a silence. Whitley looked back and forth between them, eyebrows raised. Winter was staring firmly at her empty plate. 

“Why not?” Weiss cried. She fought down a prickling at the back of her eyelids. 

“It’s out of the question,” he said.

He stood up, and they all followed suit, and that was that.

**********

“I almost went to Beacon, you know,” said Weiss, twisting her hands in her lap. 

“Oh?” said Blake. 

“Yes. My father said that if I could clear a task of his, defeat a monster of his choosing, he would allow me to go.”

She rubbed her temple against the pressure that was building up.

“But I failed.”

Blake sighed, leaning towards her. Weiss looked up, every muscle at attention from her closeness.

“You have to stop thinking of yourself as a failure, Weiss.” 

Her voice was soft, almost pleading. 

“You’re very strong. One of the strongest people I know.”

Weiss felt heat in her cheeks, and looked away.

“Well I DID fail. I could have known you all for longer. We could have been teammates, really teammates. We could have…”

She stopped herself immediately, completely cutting off the thought that had begun that sentence. She fidgeted faster. Blake tilted her head, confused. 

“You’re more than just your father’s daughter. This place is stifling, I can’t imagine what it would be like to have grown up here.”

Weiss gave a wry smile. Blake had told her briefly about her home in menagerie, sharing little tidbits about her childhood. She oozed love for her parents with every word, but there was a sadness behind it as well. 

“So you failed the first time,” said Blake, setting her mug aside. 

“I say you try again.”

**********

Stance wide. Chin up. Right foot forward. 

Breathe.

Silence.

Weiss charged at the metal beast, heart racing in her ears, hyper-aware of every movement, every muscle as Myrtenaster’s fire burned in her vision.

Glyphs not too big, jump with your knees, wait for an opening.

She rocketed up above the beast, positioning herself perfectly. Before she could react, it swiped out. It was faster now, cleverer. The beast had been improved in her years at Atlas.

She dodged to the best of her ability, but fell hard on her left side. She rolled away as it struck downward, mind whirling. Her scars burned.

She jumped back to her feet, setting myrtenaster to ice. She dashed around the monster’s feet, stilling it and confusing it until it tripped, falling to the ground with a spectacular sound that chilled her to the bone.

Her chest heaved. She was afraid. She remembered that child, that seventeen year old bleeding and helpless on the floor.

She used her glyphs to jump into the air again, and struck with all of her power, dust blazing. 

She held her, breath, and then silence.

The seventeen year old was gone. 

**********

She gazed past the stage lights at her father, sitting perfectly still in the box seats. She could barely see his face through the light, but knew he must be furious. She didn’t care, she didn’t care, she didn’t care. She was free. She was going away with Ruby and Yang and Blake. 

She bowed in her father’s direction, heart fluttering. Then she turned on her heel and walked backstage.

“Weeeiiiss!!!!” She was immediately hit with the tightest hug she had ever felt.

“Ruby, you’re crushing me,” she choked out. Ruby let go, hopping up and down.

“You did it, Weiss! You really did it! We’re going together! We’re a team! Team… Team RWBY! RWBY with a “w”!”

Yang laughed, moving up next to Weiss and giving her a slap on the back. 

“Congrats! Welcome to Team RWBY.”

“We have to pack! We have to prepare! Oooooh Weiss!” Ruby gave her one last quick hug before taking off, Yang trailing behind her. Weiss made as if to follow, glancing around. No Blake. She felt her heart sink a little. 

“Congratulations.”

She wheeled around to see Blake standing behind her, smiling her perfectly radiant Blake smile.

And Weiss was still so happy, lightheaded from winning and proving herself and the promise of adventure. Her heart was fluttering and her fingers were tingling and she couldn’t keep a dopey smile off her face, and she took a step forward and went to hug Blake but then she was kissing her, and her hands were around Blake’s waist and Blake was kissing her back and her heart was on fire and she felt Blake’s breath and the sweep of her hair and everything was absolutely perfect.

Then Weiss snapped firmly back to reality, all at once. 

Weiss drew back violently, clapping a hand over her mouth, lips still tingling with the taste of Blake’s.

“I… I apologize!” she stammered, taking a few steps backwards.

Blake looked dumbfounded, hands slack and mouth hanging open slightly.

“Weiss, I…”

“No!” Weiss drew both hands to her cheeks, hiding a furious blush. “I can’t do this. I’m not… it was the heat of the moment. I can’t… I have a boyfriend!”

Blake slumped, wrapping her arms around herself. She looked sad, and Weiss couldn’t stand it. She especially couldn’t stand that she was maybe the cause of it. 

“I have to go pack,” she said.

And she ran.

**********

She was folding up a dress, hands unsteady, when her scroll chimed. She glanced over at it, seeing it lit up by Sky’s smirking picture. 

She found herself not caring at all. Her time with Sky was so distant now, and so unimportant. She answered, put him on speakerphone, and continued to pack.

“Hey Weiss. What’s this I hear about you leaving Atlas?” he said, voice crackly through the speaker.

“I’d imagine it’s exactly what it sounds like. I’m leaving Atlas.”

She tossed a book in her backpack. It was one that Blake had recommended to her.

“Care to explain? Or were you planning on just leaving without ever telling me?” 

Underneath his fake composure, Sky was angry. Weiss knew him well enough that she could tell. She didn’t care. She didn’t care.

“I’m going on a mission with my friends. There’s not much more to it than that.”

She paused in her packing, hovering over the scroll and steeling herself. Sky started to speak, and she cut him off right there.

“Sky, I’m not going to be with you anymore. I don’t like spending time with you. Frankly, I don’t think I ever did.”

There was a silence between them.

“What?” he said, incredulous.

“You are very slow today,” she huffed, heart pounding. 

“You can’t break up with me,” said Sky, stating it like it was a fact. This just made Weiss dislike him more.

“Well, that seems to be what I just did. Goodbye.”

She hung up the scroll, fingers tingling with nerves. She was terrified, and sad, but she felt a relief sweep over her unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

She took a few deep breaths, bringing back her composure. A smile crept onto her face. She continued to pack.

**********

The night before they left, Weiss couldn’t sleep. She wasn’t nervous, necessarily. Just… awake. She decided to walk for a bit, to see if she could wear herself out. She found herself automatically walking by Blake’s room. The door was open. This was strange. 

Feeling a bit odd, she glanced inside. Blake didn’t seem to be in there. She felt a pang in her chest, unable to shake some weird feeling that it was all her fault. She’d scared her off, or something.

Weiss twisted her hands together, forcing herself to continue walking. She didn’t have any destination in mind, but, as she always did on sleepless nights, she ended up outside in the garden.

The winter air cut into her lungs, and she immediately wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep the cold from biting her skin. She walked down the garden path, planters empty but shaded by icy trees. Her bare feet quickly went numb, wetness tracing up her ankles. 

Weiss snapped out of it, realized just how cold she was, and was just about to turn around and head back inside when she spotted her in the distance. 

Weiss’ breath caught, and a puff of air spread out in front of her, vanishing into the moonlight.

She stepped towards Blake without thinking, shivering as she stood next to her, silently.

The two of them stood like that, for a while, no words exchanged. Weiss glanced from Blake to the moon, feeling small and empty and useless and cold in its light. Its broken shards hovered, frozen forever in a silent escape.

“Blake… I….”

More breath, fogging in the air. More shivering. Blake tilted her head towards Weiss, golden eyes glinting in the moonlight, and every ounce of Weiss’ resolve crumbled into dust.

“Blake, I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking away, and back towards the moon. Blake looked away, as well, a sigh escaping her lips, the fog from her breath disappearing into the air. Weiss unfolded her arms, lacing her fingers together.

Weiss had always felt rather comforted by the moon. This radiant, broken thing. A constant in her life that she looked at whenever she felt alone.

A few heartbeats. 

And then, Blake’s hand found Weiss’.

A point of warmth, that spread quickly from her hand to her entire body. Weiss intertwined her frozen fingers with Blake’s, fumbling until they reached a comfortable silence. Blake’s face reddened with a blush, and Weiss was acutely aware of everything around her, every heartbeat echoing in her hand. One last shiver, and then the heat rose through her, from her hand, to her chest, and straight to her heart. 

Weiss could remember a time when the moon seemed full.

*********

The four teammates headed out in early morning, backpacks loaded and weapons cleaned and ready to go. 

Weiss hugged her jacket around her, unable to help a manic grin. This was it. They were escaping. She’d said her goodbyes, and adjusted her backpack, and now they were leaving, honestly and truly.

Tired as she was, Weiss felt better than she ever had. She was setting out with her new team, and the possibilities were overwhelming. It would be an adventure, just her and these three girls who were now more family to her than anyone she was related to by blood. Although she still felt her scars, her uselessness, she struggled through it, telling herself that it was all lies, that her new team liked her, and that she was off to bigger and brighter things.

Yang and Ruby walked in front, playfully kicking ice chunks to each other as they headed down the pathway. Their voices soothed her, light and playful. 

Snowflakes fell gently around them, and Weiss glanced to her left, watching with fascination as the flakes got caught in Blake’s hair, contrasting the dark with the light. 

Blake noticed her looking, and smiled. Weiss looked away in embarrassment, a familiar jolt to her heart.

They continued on in silence, and Weiss was comforted by it, somehow.

They reached the edge of the Shchnee’s property, where the pathway hit the road. Weiss chanced a glance backwards. It was an angle she rarely saw the house at: large, looming, distant. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to let it all go, and move on into her new life.

“Okay, Team RWBY!” called Ruby, from the front of the pack. “Are we ready to go? Because if someone has to go to the bathroom or something, uh… we should maybe go back for a bit I guess…”

“Ruby, we’re ready,” said Blake, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“I was born ready!” said Yang.

Weiss remained silent, staring back at the house that had been her home and her prison for all of these years.

“Weiss?” asked Blake, turning towards her.

“Ready,” said Weiss.

And she was.

**Author's Note:**

> I had no freaking clue what to title this so I went with a lyric from a song in the pokemon manga. Why am I like this?
> 
> This fic was a very interesting challenge for me, because not only have I never really written romance, but I've also never really thought about monochrome, to be honest. Yet, somehow, all of this happened, and I ended up really liking it. And then it just kind of exploded into like 8000 words. Ha.
> 
> Anyway, this was written for the rwby winter fanfic exchange on tumblr, as a gift for peridots-dorito! I really hope you like it :D!


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